Gov't declares state of disaster for Goseong inferno

The South Korean government declared a state of national disaster Friday over the massive blaze that has engulfed five cities and counties along the northeastern coast.

The announcement came after Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said he had recommended that President Moon Jae-in take the measure.

"The government will also decide whether to designate the affected areas as special disaster zones, after examining the extent of the damage," an official at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said.

The inferno, which started on a mountain near the northeastern coast, has killed one man and destroyed woodland and buildings, with the damage piling up to what authorities have described as "an unprecedented extent."

Meanwhile, President Moon made a second visit Friday to the state emergency control center to check on ongoing efforts to contain the blaze.

The president had a teleconference with his interior minister, Kim Boo-kyum, to be briefed on the current conditions at the site, according to Ko Min-jung, a vice spokesperson for the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.

Nearly 900 fire engines and 13,000 firefighters from all parts of the country have been mobilized after the president ordered the government to put in every available resource to contain the fire.

Already, local authorities are calling the fire an "unprecedented disaster."

More than 380 hectares of land are estimated to have been devastated, with at least 300 houses and buildings destroyed.

Earlier in the day, the government declared a state of national disaster, a move aimed at enabling faster mobilization of necessary resources to contain the fire.

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon has said the government may also consider designating the affected areas as natural disaster zones, which would entitle the areas and their residents to special government support.